Kyle Van Noy was mildly surprised when Tom Brady chose to leave the New England Patriots. But he wasn’t stunned.
During an interview Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand,” Van Noy recalled his reaction to Brady’s departure from New England.
“I was just like everybody else: I was shocked a little bit, but I felt like I could see the writing on the wall with just how things went and just how things played out,” the linebacker said. “I wish he was a lifer in New England because I think that would have been a really cool story. But I’m happy for him. He got what he wanted, a $50 million contract guaranteed. That is amazing. It doesn’t matter how much money you’ve earned, that’s still a bunch of money.”
Once it became clear Brady was not going to re-sign with New England before the start of free agency, Van Noy figured the star quarterback was as good as gone.
Brady announced last Tuesday, one day into the NFL’s legal tampering period, that he was leaving the Patriots. Three days later, he officially signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers worth up to $59 million, including $50 million guaranteed.
“I would say the writing on the wall was on getting a deal before free agency,” Van Noy said on “Zolak & Bertrand.” “That to me was ‘OK, it doesn’t look like he’s going to stay.’ You would think with him being there that long, it would have got done. But who knows? I don’t know how he’s done stuff in the past, but for me, that was ‘Oh, man. This is gonna get real.’ ”
Van Noy, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, landed a nice contract of his own last week, signing a four-year, $51 million deal with the Miami Dolphins.
